Kelvin Timeline all but confirmed

[Dukhat]

Even if, as has just happened, the producer of the damn show says it's in the prime timeline. Some fans refuse to believe it. I have no explanation for this stubbornness.

The producers of ENT considered that show to be in the prime timeline, and yet there are people who consider it to be nothing more than Riker's holodeck fantasy. And I'm one of them

 

[Noname Given]

One cannot disagree with truth.

What 'truth'? In the end it IS just a TV show.

 

[Captain of the USS Averof]

Starfleet could be invaded by Saucermen from Mars and I'd watch it.

That premise actually sounds like a lot of fun! I'd watch it also!

 

[Campe]

What 'truth'? In the end it IS just a TV show.

Ding ding ding!

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Are you a time traveler from the Beforetime? Because the new President would like to have a word with you.

About covfefe?

srsly, I apologize for my heavy-handedness, I just wonder why there's still any doubt as to what timeline the show's in. The producer of the show says it's prime. Any particular reason why we shouldn't believe him?

I mean how can you 'interpret' something that is official?

 

[fireproof78]

About covfefe?

srsly, I apologize for my heavy-handedness, I just wonder why there's still any doubt as to what timeline the show's in. The producer of the show says it's prime. Any particular reason why we shouldn't believe him?

I mean how can you 'interpret' something that is official?

Possibly due to inherent skepticism with authority in a post-modern culture, as well as the look not lining up perfectly with what has come before?

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

as well as the look not lining up perfectly with what has come before?

I don't see why the "look" has to dictate anything. Everyone knew DSC wouldn't look like TOS. That doesn't have to mean it's not the same timeline.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

About covfefe?

srsly, I apologize for my heavy-handedness, I just wonder why there's still any doubt as to what timeline the show's in. The producer of the show says it's prime. Any particular reason why we shouldn't believe him?

I mean how can you 'interpret' something that is official?

I was just making a joke about how we live in an alternative facts/post-truth society now, not making any serious commentary on Discovery.

But now that you mention it, I don't see any reason not to take the producers at their word that this new show is set in the Prime Universe, but at the same time I think people are placing way too much emphasis on what that means in terms of the look and feel and possibly even the historical aspects of the show. I think they'll try to adhere to the broadstrokes of established Prime-Trek history insofar as it doesn't seriously affect their ability to tell the stories they want, but in terms of rigidly adhering to the design parameters and production limitations of a fifty year old show for the sake of not upsetting the apple cart of a few Canonistas who treat this stuff like it came down from on-high and was written on stone tablets? Not gonna happen.

And that's exactly the way it should be. Whether the crew has to give a hand-job to a wall control in order to make the space elevator go up and down to and from the bridge is about the least important thing to consider when making the show. It was ridiculous on Enterprise that solely for the sake of looking more primitive than TOS they had to inconveniently reach over to the right and press a button on a side panel in order to open the doors. Because automatic doors haven't been a thing for decades already.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Whether the crew has to give a hand-job to a wall control in order to make the space elevator go up and down to and from the bridge is about the least important thing to consider when making the show. It was ridiculous on Enterprise that solely for the sake of looking more primitive than TOS they had to inconveniently reach over to the right and press a button on a side panel in order to open the doors. Because automatic doors haven't been a thing for decades already.

Totally!

 

[fireproof78]

I don't see why the "look" has to dictate anything. Everyone knew DSC wouldn't look like TOS. That doesn't have to mean it's not the same timeline.

Since there is little other information about the show to comment on, the look is really all that assumptions can be based upon.

And individuals have different reactions and expectations.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

Since there is little other information about the show to comment on, the look is really all that assumptions can be based upon.

Or you can rely on what the creators of the show are specifically saying about how DSC fits into Trek continuity, which is that it's Prime. I agree with @Mr. Laser Beam that the look doesn't mean anything and that it's Prime because the producers say it is. They could literally set it in any time or place and make it look however they want and it would still be Prime solely because the creators say it is. Until either the producers or the directors or writers come out and say, "JK! It's Kelvin, suckas" then it's Prime.

 

[fireproof78]

Or you can rely on what the creators of the show are specifically saying about how DSC fits into Trek continuity, which is that it's Prime. I agree with @Mr. Laser Beam that the look doesn't mean anything and that it's Prime because the producers say it is. They could literally set it in any time or place and make it look however they want and it would still be Prime solely because the creators say it is. Until either the producers or the directors or writers come out and say, "JK! It's Kelvin, suckas" then it's Prime.

That is less likely, at least at the moment. Creators word, as I said, are met with skepticism, so acceptance of DSC as Prime seems to be a battle.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

That is less likely, at least at the moment. Creators word, as I said, are met with skepticism, so acceptance of DSC as Prime seems to be a battle.

I don't think what the creators say should be met with skepticism because the creators are literally the only ones who have any authority over whether it's Prime. So if they say it's Prime, it is by definition Prime no matter what the show looks or feels like. I mean, ideally the creators have a sense of what Trek is about (I think they do) but even if they wrote something totally bonkers and said it's Prime, it would still be Prime regardless of how fans felt about it. It's like the canon question. Just because a certain fan thinks ENT sucks doesn't mean it's not canon.

 

[fireproof78]

I don't think what the creators say should be met with skepticism because the creators are literally the only ones who have any authority over whether it's Prime. So if they say it's Prime, it is by definition Prime no matter what the show looks or feels like. I mean, ideally the creators have a sense of what Trek is about (I think they do) but even if they wrote something totally bonkers and said it's Prime, it would still be Prime regardless of how fans felt about it. It's like the canon question. Just because a certain fan thinks ENT sucks doesn't mean it's not canon.

Ideally, certainly.

But, this is hardly an ideal realm, and, regardless of authorial intent, there is still skepticism.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

Ideally, certainly.

But, this is hardly an ideal realm, and, regardless of authorial intent, there is still skepticism.

That doesn't make sense. It's not a question of "authorial intent." It's "authorial domain." It is theirs to define.

And I agree with @Locutus of Bored that ultimately it doesn't even matter whether it's Prime or Kelvin because it will never affect the hows and whys of the show's actual storytelling. Like, it literally does not make any difference except in the minds of fans who are irrationally obsessed with canon and timelines. Fretting over canon and timelines is a black hole that sucks up and obscures the things that are actually interesting about Star Trek in favor of meaningless "this, not that" back-and-forths. The fact that fans worry so much over setting baffles the hell out of me.

 

[fireproof78]

That doesn't make sense. It's not a question of "authorial intent." It's "authorial domain." It is theirs to define.

And I agree with @Locutus of Bored that ultimately it doesn't even matter whether it's Prime or Kelvin because it will never affect the hows and whys of the show's actual storytelling. Like, it literally does not make any difference except in the minds of fans who are irrationally obsessed with canon and timelines. Fretting over canon and timelines is a black hole that sucks up and obscures the things that are actually interesting about Star Trek in favor of meaningless "this, not that" back-and-forths. The fact that fans worry so much over setting baffles the hell out of me.

Certainly it is their's to define, but there will always be push back. I still feel bad for Nick Meyer and the death threats he got over TWOK.

It doesn't make a difference to me, but my larger point is that I understand where others are coming from.

 

[Tarek71]

Nothing wrong with them deciding to reimagine Star Trek. Most Arthurian Saga stories agree with each other in many "broad strokes", but they are not in continuity with each other. That doesn't have any bearing on whether the latest movie about Arthur is any good. But it and First Knight or Merlin are not in the same "timeline". It makes no difference. The only reason it seems they went from saying DSC could fit in either timeline to Prime was that it would stand apart from the movies, which makes it seem like they otherwise had no deeper or more important reason to say they set it there.

 

[Tarek71]

But what the showrunners say is of no consequence whatsoever to what timeline it is. Only the degree with which it agrees with the established history and events. It just also happens to not really matter where they set it. With other universes, there just doesn't seem to be this same problem. Or at least not to the same degree. Every iteration of Sherlock, Hercules or Merlin doesn't have to agree with the others. It's a new version, and most fans seem to be more or less ok with that.

 

[Dukhat]

I don't see why the "look" has to dictate anything. Everyone knew DSC wouldn't look like TOS. That doesn't have to mean it's not the same timeline.

No, everyone didn't know that.

 

[Tuskin38]

Well it was revealed last year that things wouldn't look the same